NASHVILLE — Sometimes all you need is a little bit of luck. That’s the kind of year that Alex Palou is having. He took advantage of the early race caution for David Malukas’ rear wing falling off unexpectedly on Lap 13. While running third, Palou elected to hit pit lane under caution as it was looking then puzzling that only three total cars, Palou included, chose to pit at that time.

For a race that has a lot of attrition and caution laps, this one didn’t and as a result, could have opened this championship race right up.

Palou pit on Lap 14 and extended it to Lap 45 for his second stop. However, that’s a 35 lap final stint when these cars hold a max of 31-32 laps of fuel. He’d have to save massively or hope for cautions.

Their plan all along was to get the help for cautions.

Out of the 160 combined race laps turned in the first two editions of this event, 43% of them were under caution periods with 38% of the cars being loaded back on the haulers early after crashes.

The inaugural race saw 9 cautions for 33 laps. Last year’s was one less yellow (8) but more caution laps (36).

This one? Just three cautions. However, only one came in the first 70 laps which if that Lap 71 crash doesn’t happen, Palou was going to have to pit again.

Barry Wanser, his strategist, told him a few laps prior to push hard to build a gap in anticipation of having to hit pit road. Palou would do just that.

Then came that championship saving caution.

“Today we were, like, done,” Palou admitted. “We couldn’t really save that much fuel. It was impossible. We were already saving and losing like 2 seconds a lap, 2.5. They told me to go.

“We did one full lap of going because we wanted to get some lap time, try and pass some cars that were, like, 20th or whatever. Suddenly the yellow came. I was like, Yeah. Then another yellow that helped me a lot so I could at least be a bit more aggressive or defensive on the last restart.”

He’d be able to save enough fuel under that caution, plus getting the benefit of the doubt for a second one on the Lap 74 restart and bring his No. 10 Dallara-Honda home on the podium in third.

“I try and get advantage of that. I’ll try and get advantage of that because I know it’s not often,” he said of that luck. “Last year we didn’t win a race until the last race. I thought that every race we had something wrong going on, on our strategy or race. This year is the opposite. I’ll take it.

“Yeah, we made a really aggressive call on that first yellow, like lap 13 or 14. We pitted. It was the plan honestly. We spoke about it. I was pushing for it. It wasn’t the right call today.

“We expected a lot more cautions throughout the race. So, yeah, we learned I think we were super, super lucky today. Luck was on our favor because we were not going to make it. Then those yellows came.

“But, yeah, it was a very stressful race. I think I lost like five years of my life just trying to save fuel, a lot of fuel, and praying for a yellow. It finally came, which was good for me, not for you. It was perfect for me.

“Yeah, it was overall a really good day. Could have been a lot cleaner and a lot easier. We wanted to make it a bit too hard.”

Palou said that he wasn’t too shocked to see just 8 caution laps this year. He noted that if you look at Detroit, Belle Isle, the past three years, it was two years in a row it was completely, like, crash-ville as well. Suddenly the last one, no cautions till the last lap.

“It goes that way when we know it’s tight, we know there’s going to be a lot of yellows. We should have thought about that maybe more. It was just purely our fault,” he continued.

Josef Newgarden had nothing for Palou on the two restarts and would finish behind Palou allowing the gap to grow from 80 points to 84 with four races remaining.

“I was just wanting to finish the race,” said Palou. “Without our issue on strategies, I was wanting to go for the win honestly. I thought we had the car and the pace to fight for the win today.

“Yeah, we lost an opportunity, but also super happy to be on the podium, especially with the lap that we needed today, that we got it.

“Yeah, it was a 10 out of 10 day at the end results-wise.

“Until they give us the trophy… I think Josef can win the last four races. Why not? Everybody can do it. We can do it, as well.

“Yeah, on this championship, on this series, unfortunately I don’t think you can just take it easy, especially now with all the work we did. We don’t want to race to finish ninth. Maybe on the last race I would take that, absolutely.

“But, yeah, with Indy road course coming up, we won there on May, I think we know we have a fast car. We have an opportunity to win there again. Then Scott told me that he’s going to win at Gateway. That’s it.”